My patent application Ser. No. 08/153,366, filed Nov. 16, 1993, and entitled, "Replaceable Wear Surface for Conveyor Slat," and now U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,994 discloses a reciprocating floor conveyor design that includes a wear plate secured to the top of each conveyor slat. The conveyor slats each have raised side edges with longitudinal, inwardly-facing slots formed therein. The side edges of each wear plate are received in these longitudinal slots. A bolt, or other type of mechanical fastener, secures each wear plate to its conveyor slat.
To install the wear plates onto the conveyor slats, it is necessary to slide the wear plates lengthwise of the conveyor slats with the side edges of the wear plates sliding along the longitudinal slots of the conveyor slats. The wear plates are secured to slats with a bolt. It has been discovered that such an installation procedure is sometimes difficult, or at least inconvenient, during assembly of the reciprocating floor conveyors, and in many retrofit applications.
An object of the present invention is to provide for easy assembly, installation and replacement of the wear plates onto the conveyor slats.